Countdown

Good Cop, Bad Cop

Volume VII, No. 16
Posted on Tuesday April 25, 2006

Good Cop, Bad Cop

As if holding up a mirror to the growing partisanship that pervades Washington, The Washington Post and The New York Times editorial pages have taken starkly contrasting positions on recent issues. With regard to the recently scuttled Dubai ports deal, The Post admonished members of Congress for spreading “prejudice and misinformation” and called the United Arab Emirates a “US ally that has cooperated extensively with US security operations.” The Times opposed the deal, characterizing the UAE’s record of cooperation to be “mixed.” Dissonance reared its head again on the issue of President George W. Bush’s declassification of prewar Iraq intelligence, with The Post issuing an editorial titled “A Good Leak” followed quickly by The Times’ “A Bad Leak.” The Post defended what it called “releasing for public review some of the intelligence [President Bush] used in making his most momentous decision.” The Times, on the other hand, characterized the intelligence as “more like disinformation than any sincere attempt to inform the public.” Do you think they duke it out on other important issues—why did Nick and Jessica break up? Who will be the next American Idol?

Walk Softly and Carry a Big Stick

Business for Diplomatic Action, a non-profit organized by several large American companies aimed at engaging US businesses in public diplomacy, has published the “World Citizen’s Guide.” The guide is aimed at curbing the “Ugly American” stereotype that often plagues US tourists and businessmen. Some of the suggestions, courtesy of the UK’s Telegraph, include: “Think as big as you like but talk and act smaller. (In many countries, any form of boasting is considered very rude. Talking about wealth, power or status—corporate or personal—can create resentment.) Think a little locally. (Try to find a few topics that are important in the local popular culture. Remember, most people in the world have little or no interest in the World Series or the Super Bowl. What we call ‘soccer’ is football everywhere else. And it’s the most popular sport on the planet.)” Another thing we were thinking might work is sewing a Canadian flag on your back pack. Also, don’t talk with your mouth full. Nobody needs to see that.

Congratulations Are in Order

Time magazine has recognized Arab American Senator John E. Sununu (R-NH) as a future star of the United States Senate. Time’s current issue lists five “up-and-comers” in the Senate and the Republican Arab American senator is one of them. “Only 41 years old, the New Hampshire Republican is the youngest member of the Senate, but that hasn’t limited his reach,” according to Time. “Sununu played a major role this year on lobbying-reform legislation, and he got the Bush Administration to make some crucial changes in the Patriot Act before he voted to reauthorize it. The son of former White House Chief of Staff John H. Sununu, he has become a well-respected fiscal conservative, last fall calling for cuts in nearly every part of the budget to offset spending for Hurricane Katrina.”

The Key to Success

As Christians around the world celebrated the Easter holiday, the Nuseibeh and Joudeh families in Jerusalem commemorated a tradition of their own. For the past 1,300 years, the Nuseibehs have served as the doorkeepers to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem—the site most Christians believe Jesus’ crucifixion occurred. The Nuseibehs are responsible for opening the door to the church while the Joudehs are entrusted with the key’s safekeeping. In an admirable example of Muslim-Christian cooperation, the Palestinian Muslim families have fulfilled this responsibility since 638 and often settle disputes between Christian factions within the church. “Like all brothers, they sometimes have problems. We help them settle their disputes. We are neutral people in the church…We help preserve peace in this holy place,” said Wajeeh Nuseibeh who has opened the doors for over twenty years.